Jalandhar, February 11
Renowned Gurbani sangeet exponent Bhai Baldeep Singh today took on the ruling Congress government, alleging that both Chief Ministers Capt Amarinder Singh and Charanjit S Channi failed to give him justice on the incident of destruction of heritage material.
He was referring to an incident wherein the Punjab police teams had removed all his belongings from Qila Sarai on May 13, 2018, which also housed the office of Anad Foundation. The foundation is run by him. The historical building incidentally houses the office of the Sultanpur Lodhi police station.
“At the place where I was pioneering revival and conservation project focused on GurSikh heritage in over 170 years, the Punjab Police committed acts which amount to cultural genocide. The priceless, irreplaceable, handwritten manuscripts had been destroyed. The musical instrument-making tools and GurSikh musical instruments, including the rabab handcrafted by me, were mutilated and stolen,” he recalled the incident showing its videos and pictures.
A conservator of heritage, Bhai Baldeep Singh, had joined AAP in its initial phases but got suspended. He said that he had taken up the matter, then Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh assured him of looking into the matter, but nothing happened.
Bhai Baldeep has alleged that not even an FIR had been lodged into the matter as the complaint was against the police. He demanded that the damages and losses incurred by him and the Anad Foundation should be quantified by experts from the United National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and compensation be decided.
Punjab Police destroyed heritage material: Bhai Baldeep Singh
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